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West Virginia’s Gaudineer Scenic Area features giant red spruce trees, living and downed

Stumps and uprooted root systems mark the deaths of big trees in West Virginia's Gaudineer Scenic Area. It is a touch of New England or Canada in the West Virginia Highlands. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

Signs lead to the Gaudineer Scenic Area on a ridgetop near Durbin, W. Va. It features virgin and second-growth red spruce and other trees. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

Cheat Summit Fort was a Civil War fortress built to protect traffic on the historic Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

A half-mile loop trail leads through a lush, green setting with moss, lichens and lots of big trees in the Gaudineer Scenic Area in Monongahela National Forest. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)

Big trees, some up to 40 inches in diameter and more than 250 years old, are featured in the Monongalena National Forest's Gaudineer Scenic Area near Durbin, W. Va. The tract features virgin red spruce and other trees on 140 acres. (Bob Downing/Akron Beacon Journal)